Resumen de Language awareness in the national curriculum for language education in Italy

Paolo E. Balboni

• The Italian school system is highly centralised: curricula are prepared by the Ministry of Education and then enforced as Acts of Parliament. All schools are supposed to implement the state curriculum. Analysis of the curriculum for language education from primary school level to pre‐university courses shows the place given to the development of language awareness and of conscious knowledge of language in Italian schools. Some points offer a relevant contribution to the definition of the role of schools in stimulating language awareness.